


TamaIo Week 2020 Fic Compilation

by pickledbrows



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Confessions, Drabble, Ficlet, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, One Shot Collection, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25808326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickledbrows/pseuds/pickledbrows
Summary: Collection of one-shots and drabbles for this year's Tamaio week.
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Yotsuba Tamaki
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	1. Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> Another week, another excuse to get me to write about my wonderful rarepair. The twitter account tamaioweek has prompts posted, so feel free to join!

Tamaki planned to confess in the spring because he figured the symbolism of new beginnings was important. He’d spent most of winter break catching up on his studies, practicing for the New Year’s live stage broadcast, and doing promotional work with Mezzo, so he barely had time to plan something. The “I should tell him I like him” thought was an ever-present, anxiety-provoking buzz that sat somewhere in the very back of his mind throughout the colder months, and he figured he’d get to it eventually. Eventually.

He wondered if Iori’s birthday would be a good time but on a variety show that Mitsuki appeared on as a guest MC, one of the actresses talked about how she preferred birthdays be separate from other anniversaries because then you’d have more things to celebrate throughout the year, and Tamaki couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. Instead, he and Iori visited the Izumi family cake shop for a mini celebration with his parents, and Tamaki gave him a small Usamimi Friends collectible. He’d seen it in a shop when picking out a new King Pudding bento box to replace the one he’d accidentally left on the train. That had been the saddest part of winter but seeing Iori’s red cheeks and hearing his stammered “thank you” upon opening the gift more than made up for it.

Any free moments Tamaki could spare after that were spent ruminating on the need to ask but not actually planning it out. A lot of practice and homework and singing and TV filled up his schedule and here he was, sitting in one of his final classes in March, spring right around the corner along with the new school year, and no idea what he was going to do. The teacher had her back to the class as she wrote some science something on the board, and Iori was hunched over busily taking notes. Tamaki would snag those from him later. He needed to let his thoughts wander for a bit.

He entertained the idea of taking Iori to some secluded area of school before they headed home today and just saying it right there, but that seemed random and Iori had told him not to be so haphazard with his life after the Case of the Lost Bento Box. Saddest part of winter indeed. Tamaki had taken that scolding to heart and made it his New Year’s resolution to not be so scattered. It was tough.

A confession wasn’t something as serious as a proposal, though he’d had fun daydreaming about that too, so no need for flowers or getting a ring—he couldn’t even afford one if he wanted to, the prices were a bunch of numbers his mind couldn’t even fathom—or even setting up a special dinner. Or so he thought, but he recalled a few classmates gossiping about their Christmas dates and birthday dates and other dates and he noted that food was always involved. He figured a confession should be part of a meal, or at least after a meal, but not before a meal. That would be terrible because if Iori said no, there’d be no meal. And Tamaki would be hungry _and_ sad.

If Iori said no…

There was also that. The thought that Iori would just stare at him, possibly get upset, maybe yell the way the people in Nagi’s new romance drama would yell, or even worse just walk away, quit IDOLiSH7, and disappear forever.

Tamaki shuddered at the thought and shifted in his seat. He didn’t want to think about Iori saying no, which meant he needed to plan the confession in a way so Iori couldn’t. A meal so nice, the weather so beautiful, the scenery so perfect that he’d have to say yes.

Tamaki paused at that thought and felt grossed out. That scenario was even worse because he remembered someone in one of Yamato’s movies being creepy and intensely obsessive over their love interest. Wait, that was Yamato’s character. That had been scary to see. Tamaki didn’t want to do that to Iori. He’d leave for sure, or maybe ask Tamaki to leave, and Tamaki would because nobody should have to go through that. Iori didn’t deserve to feel any of that.

_“Yotsuba-kun!”_

Tamaki jumped in his chair at his name harshly being called and glanced up at the teacher, hand flipping through his book that hadn’t even been open. Iori was glancing at him over his shoulder while their classmates giggled and poked fun at his lack of paying attention. His mind raced for some clue as to what was even going on and he realized the book he was opening was for history, not science. Wait, they were in math class? Since when?

“Pay attention,” Iori chided under his breath and held up the right book.

Tamaki was used to getting called out in class and although he hated the forced pause in his more important planning, he didn’t want to make Iori upset or annoyed with him. He’d been doing so well to keep things peaceful between them this year.

_Don’t be so haphazard._

The teacher tensely repeated her question once he was on the right page and he managed to answer it, although he wasn’t right. Almost. He was proud of himself at least because Iori’s extra tutoring had helped him manage to follow along with what was being asked. The teacher seemed unfazed by his wrong calculation and called on someone else while everyone around snorted and laughed at the mistake, but at least the attention was off him now. Safe.

After math class was lunch, then a couple of other classes before they could go home. Tamaki hadn’t been called on again by a teacher, a true miracle, so he’d been able to safely plan out his springtime confession. Invite Iori to go eat out and then tell him. It was an easy plan because he and Iori were always planning out dinner excursions when they didn’t have any work scheduled. He wanted it to be casual and normal. A regular day that would turn out to be special. Not Iori’s birthday, nor Tamaki’s, though that was coming up in a few weeks also. Maybe a spring confession would be too close?

When the final class of the day ended, Tamaki let out a sigh of relief and stretched while everyone around gathered their things and went on their way. A few classmates teased him for his moment earlier in the day of being lost in the clouds yet again, but he just smiled and laughed along with their jokes.

“It’s the end of the school year and you still can’t concentrate,” he heard Iori say once most of their classmates had left. He was twisted around in his seat so he could shoot Tamaki an accusatory glare. “We have a few more days left until break, so please do your best.”

“But Iorin, I got it right! Did you see? Your teaching really helped me!”

“You got it wrong.”

“But I _almost_ got it right. And I am doing my best!”

Iori sighed and packed up his bag before sliding it up on his shoulder. Tamaki figured now would be a good time to ask about making dinner plans since he was still putting his own things together.

“Iorin, do you want to eat somewhere this week? We can celebrate the end of the school year,” he suggested, “Ban-san left my schedule open since this is my last week of school, but we’re gonna be busy all break.”

Iori paused in thought and scrolled through what was probably his phone schedule. He was always so organized, which is why Tamaki figured an organized confession was best.

“Yes, my week has been freed up too as far as work goes, though I do want to get a head start on some of our assignments since we have a performance scheduled during break.”

“Iorin…”

“We can go tonight since nii-san won’t be home to make dinner and told us to go out if we wanted. I’ll text everyone.”

Tamaki felt his heart do a strange, kind of painful double leap in his chest. Tonight?

“Wait, you want to go now?” he clarified, suddenly finding it difficult to swallow.

“Yeah, we can go tonight,” Iori repeated, nonchalant as he typed out a message. Tamaki’s phone vibrated in his pocket as soon as he hit send, probably because Iori had sent it to the group chat.

Just like that. Done.

“Come on, hurry. We can’t be staying out too long tonight so let’s get going. It always takes forever for you to choose things and you always take your time eating.”

Iori continued nagging in that annoyed tone that Tamaki had grown to appreciate, but he was hardly paying attention to any of the words as he shoveled more things into his school bag. He hadn’t planned on confessing today. Iori always liked to plan things in advance, so he figured he’d ask now since most likely he’d have a day or two or even three to think everything else out and prepare himself. Today seemed so random. Too random for Iori. This wasn’t casual or normal or regular anymore.

“Iorin, are you okay?” he asked cautiously.

His friend gave him a perplexed look.

“Let’s get going. You’re the weird one today, as usual,” he huffed and dragged Tamaki out of the classroom.

They made their way to the shoe lockers and for once Tamaki took the time to pull his loafers completely on instead of squashing them down under his heels. Iori asked him why he was taking so long, and Tamaki hurried up just a little. Just a little.

“Where do you want to go?” Iori asked while scrolling through his phone. Probably looking up some places even though they already had a few favorite restaurants along the route home. Iori was always planning without no need to. That’s why tonight seemed too soon, too random, too weird.

“I want curry rice,” he continued and Tamaki felt his mind going into overdrive.

Curry rice? Would curry rice be a proper meal before a confession? Curry rice was a pretty regular meal for them but was it going to lead to a good atmosphere? Could Tamaki say he liked Iori after they ate curry rice?

“I want something else,” he countered.

“We can go to a family restaurant then,” Iori suggested and began walking in the direction of the one they frequently visited. Tamaki’s favorite because it was cheap and had so many different things he could eat all at once. And parfaits.

A parfait was okay to eat before a confession, right?

Tamaki gripped the handle of his school bag tightly. Usually he would throw it over his shoulder, but he felt too tense to do that. His hands were sweating too and his mind was running everywhere. Curry rice and parfaits. Asking Iori. Iori saying no maybe, but he wouldn’t, right? Not after eating curry rice. He said he wanted to eat curry rice, so if he did maybe he’d be in a good mood.

 _Don’t be haphazard,_ Tamaki reminded himself _._ New Year’s resolution.

“Iorin, do we have to go tonight?”

Iori looked at him again, confusion written all over his face. “You said you wanted to go out to eat.”

“Yeah, but it seems kind of not like you to suddenly want to go.”

Iori sighed. “You really don’t listen. I already told you tonight would be best because I want to get started on some assignments. We’re not going to have ample time for our studies during break with practice and the show. You better keep up with your assignments, too. Don’t start slacking before the new school year even begins.”

Tamaki felt the tension rising and the mood dropping. His feet felt heavier and heavier the closer they got to the restaurant. He could see the sign in the distance, just another two blocks away. He was already thinking of the parfaits, whether he should get strawberry, whether Iori would want to share one. What did he even want to eat? Not curry rice, that was for Iori.

He couldn’t do this. Eat something while Iori eats curry rice. And then they walk home and he just says it? Right out here on the street? Or closer to the dorm, maybe somewhere more secluded. Was there a place like that near the dorm? Where was he going to ask? How would he even ask?

“What is wrong with you today? Are you actually getting sick?” Iori’s questions cut in, right through the weight of his thoughts.

“Wait, Iorin. Hold on.”

The other boy paused mid-step and looked up at him, calm, waiting. Iori was always so calm. How could he be so calm on a day like today?

“What?” he asked, brows wrinkling just a tad, “I told you we need to get going because we can’t stay out too late tonight.”

“Iorin, I’m.”

Tamaki felt something simultaneously tighten in his chest and in his throat while something else plummeted into his stomach. His hands were so sweaty, and he opened his mouth to speak but the look of confusion on Iori’s face had his tongue tangling up.

Iori reached out to tug on his sleeve again, saying something about how they needed to get going and why was Tamaki being so weird. And then Tamaki grabbed hold of his hand which shocked them both and blurted out “I like Iorin” right there on the sidewalk in broad daylight, a block away from the curry rice and parfaits. They hadn’t even eaten yet. A confession before a meal, not after. Oh no.

“What?”

Tamaki watched as Iori’s cheeks went from normal to pink to that familiar deep red that he’d seen when Iori opened up the birthday gift. His gray eyes flicked back and forth to nobody else around because this wasn’t that busy a street, and Tamaki could almost see the steam shooting out of Iori’s ears as his brain probably cycled through a million things. Tamaki’s brain had just finished that course of action and was currently blank and restarting, so he figured he knew when someone else was currently going through it. He felt bad, because that was the worst thing his brain and body had ever done to him in such a short amount of time, and Iori didn’t deserve any of that.

“What did you say?” Iori whispered, a hiss that was more nervous than upset, and then he was rambling, “No, don’t say it again. Wait, no don’t! We need to go somewhere else!” before pulling on Tamaki’s sleeve and leading him somewhere that wasn’t the restaurant.

He felt it now. Hungry and sad.

They stopped suddenly on some other sidewalk, in a nook between two buildings while a few people walked along, carrying on with their regular day, ignoring the pair of high schoolers. The family restaurant was within sight, and now that Tamaki was empty of thought the only thing his body really wanted was food. Curry rice didn’t sound too bad right now actually. Iori had been onto something.

“Don’t say stuff like that in public!” Iori shouted but in a whisper, eyes darting to the busier street that really wasn’t that busy.

He was yelling but it wasn’t like in Nagi’s movie at least. He wasn’t loud but Tamaki could feel the panic in his words and body language.

“Sorry, Iorin,” Tamaki mumbled, really feeling the hunger and sadness settling in, “Forget it.”

“What? No! Don’t, I mean…don’t!”

Tamaki didn’t. He stood there, hands miraculously dry and heart beating at its regular speed. He fidgeted, feeling the awkwardness settle. This is why you didn’t confess before a meal. Or confess at all. Or confess random and haphazard. He’d broken his own resolution three months into the new year.

“Sorry,” he said again because he really was. He felt blank and braced himself for the oncoming revelation that things were probably now ruined between them, “Sorry.”

“Don’t!”

Tamaki tried, though he still wasn’t sure what Iori was telling him not to do. Don’t say sorry?

He felt a tug on his sleeve and realized Iori hadn’t quite let go of him yet. His fingers were a vice on his jacket, and Tamaki stared at the whiteness in those squeezing, slightly trembling fingers.

“Are you cold?” he asked and reached for Iori’s hand again to gently wrap his warm, larger one around it.

“You’re such an idiot!” Iori muttered and suddenly he wasn’t shaking anymore. Just standing there, staring down at their hands. They were both staring.

Tamaki felt bad because Iori was probably feeling as blank as he was now. Blank, hungry, and sad. He was sorry but didn’t want to apologize again. Iori had told him not to.

“Iorin, I like you,” he said instead, figuring he might as well because he couldn’t do much else to ruin things. He felt Iori’s hand tense up before the other boy suddenly stepped closer and pressed warm lips against his.

It was over before Tamaki could fully register it had even happened, but Iori’s face was so pink and his eyes were so hopeful that it had to be real. Tamaki’s heart started racing all over again. He let go of Iori’s hand and allowed himself to be led by the sleeve to the restaurant once more. He felt like he was walking on clouds on this special day.


	2. Notebook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of tamaio week! Shorter but hopefully still sweet.

* * *

It was small and thin with writing on every page, some of which were torn or folded. The cover was faded from constantly being rubbed against other surfaces, maybe books or desks or the inside of a school bag. Iori had found the notebook sitting in a pile of leftover school assignments he hardly recognized and textbooks that brought back memories of long high school days.

This was the last box he needed to go through before his childhood bedroom would be completely emptied of his personal belongings. Only his bed, desk, and chair would be left. He had no idea what his parents would do with his room since Mitsuki’s had already been turned into a guest room. He'd suggested a room for hobbies or a study, but his mother only ended up crying at the realization that he’d really be gone from their home completely.

“I’m only a few train stops away,” he’d said gently while handing her a box of tissues, “It’s not like I don’t visit every few weeks. Nothing is really changing. You can come see me, too.”

She continued to cry regardless of his words, happy tears she’d said, but tears nonetheless. He was finally moving into his own apartment. No more older brother to make him breakfast and dinner, sometimes lunch. No more dorm. No more planning out his evening shower so it wouldn't be crowded. No more stacks of dishes in the sink or mugs in a rainbow of colors lined atop the counter.

“We’ll put your diploma right here!” Iori’s father had said with excitement while patting a blank space on the wall, “The first college grad of the family!”

That had been embarrassing and Iori knew he could do nothing to stop his parents. Other awards and proofs of accomplishment earned by him and Mitsuki through school and work were scattered about in the home as decorations, and his parents enjoyed showing them off to visiting family and friends whenever they had the chance. At least they weren't going to put his diploma up in the shop. The wall behind the counter was already filled with recent clippings from the newspaper and magazines, and Iori had begged them to keep it that way.

He took a moment to open the notebook and peek at what his high school self had written inside. He flipped through pages and pages of notes for a biology class and wondered briefly why he'd even held onto this particular notebook. He was certain he’d tossed all of them out, seeing no reason to hold onto them.

He stopped on a page near the back that was unlike the other ones, filled with messy handwriting that wasn’t his own and simple drawings of a familiar pudding mascot and rabbit he’d never fail to recognize. There was one particular doodle of them standing beneath an umbrella, and his face flushed at the sudden memory of its creation. Cool autumn breeze through the window. Matching lunches. A laugh he could never forget.

He gently brushed his thumb over the names written below in scratchy kanji—definitely not his doing—and was struck by déjà vu. He’d done this exact gesture several years before, when he’d first entered college and had tried to clean up his room of unneeded childhood possessions. A lot of things had been donated or taken by his mother to be stored in a box she refused to let him touch, lest he give every piece of himself away. But he specifically wanted to hold onto this notebook, and he recalled again the reason why.

Iori snapped a quick photo of the doodle and sent it to the original artist via text.

_I’m framing this in our new home. So sign those papers when you can!_

He smiled at the emoji he received almost immediately, followed by the message: _I’m going to sell this for a million yen to our fans!_

He would never allow it, and he knew Tamaki was joking. This was his treasure, one of the few, but also one of the most beloved.


	3. Sing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Right at the very end of the day. Not super romantic this time, but it's tamaio nonetheless. Isn't it?

* * *

Because he was an idol doing professional work, Tamaki wasn’t allowed to do any after school activities. His schedule simply didn’t allow him to join a club or sport. Before IDOLiSH7, his after school activities mainly consisted of going back to the childrens’ facility to help out the younger kids with their homework or spending time with school friends and learning how to dance. He didn't start singing all that much until he started doing idol work, and he was genuinely surprised and ecstatic to hear that so many people enjoyed his voice.

Tamaki considered his work more of a priority than his schooling and preferred listening to the group’s music over doing assignments when he had the time. He kept headphones in his school bag that he was only supposed to pull out once off school grounds, but sometimes he’d sneak away during break to listen to a new song when he was having trouble remembering his parts. Or to just sit and listen to their recorded works, blissful and in awe at what their team of seven was able to accomplish.

He reached into his bag to fish out the wireless buds, phone already in his pocket as usual, and glanced up when he heard a soft, “Don’t.”

“But Iorin! I can’t remember the chorus that well,” Tamaki said, dreading an inevitable lecture. Iori knew what he was doing and Tamaki knew what he was going to say.

“We have rehearsal tonight,” Iori reminded him, “And we just got the arrangement yesterday, so no one will have it completely right anyway.”

“Everyone else has a day off today except us, which means they’re probably all practicing and are gonna be perfect,” Tamaki said with a pout, headphones in hand and ready to dash any moment, “I’m not like you, Iorin. I actually have to practice a lot.”

Iori frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You probably already have the song memorized. I’m gonna sound like an idiot and you’re gonna lecture me in front of everyone again!”

That had happened the last time they were given a new song to practice, and Tamaki had done his best to learn it but MEZZO” had also been given a new piece on top of some lines he needed to memorize for a commercial and it was hard to keep up. Iori ended up voicing his frustration over Tamaki's inability to keep in time and know when to come in for his parts, and Banri had ended up calling off the rehearsal early so everyone could go home and sleep. Tamaki had blamed himself for the group's lack of progress that day, even though everyone told him it was fine.

He stood up from his desk and made his way to the door, coming to a halt when Iori cut him off.

“Iorin…!”

“We only have 15 minutes left until break is over, and I’m going to make sure you come back on time today. You were late yesterday and I barely could come up with an excuse for you,” the other boy said and stepped out into the hallway first. He turned, waiting, and Tamaki realized Iori was really planning on coming along to his mini-practice spot.

“It’s a secret so don’t tell anyone, okay?” he said with a grin and led the way, “And teach me the chorus! I know you know it already, Iorin!”

A sigh at his back, but it wasn't one of disappointment. “Yes, yes. Fine.”


	4. Hug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, I cut it close to midnight. Super close!

* * *

When Iori opened his eyes, he felt sluggish. His brain was heavy and clouded over, not yet registering that there was more to him than a fog-filled head. There was a bit of sunlight peeking through the curtains and he figured it wasn’t a school day since he wasn’t being woken up by an alarm. Thank goodness because his body felt like a dead weight. He shut his eyes tight and stretched out his limbs, a yawn naturally escaping as his limbs began stirring to life.

His senses were awake enough for him to feel the dead weight resting around his waist and he paused when his mind finally caught up to reality and registered the warmth pressed to his side. He then realized that the bedsheets weren’t his regular black cotton, and the ceiling seemed so much further away than usual for being on a loft bed.

And maybe it was because he wasn’t in his own bed.

His mind screamed in confusion and he jolted into a seated position, tired eyes glancing around the familiar room that definitely was not his. He noted the scattered textbooks and pencils on a low table surrounded by a few open snack bags, the King Pudding plushie squished between himself and the wall, and the blue-haired figure still asleep beneath blue sheets on a blue bed.

Iori suddenly remembered last night, how he’d let himself into Tamaki’s room to unplug the video game system the other boy had been glued to and upended all the contents of his untouched schoolbag over his crumb-covered table. They had stayed up late reviewing everything from the last quarter in preparation for an upcoming week of exams, and Iori concluded he’d been far too exhausted to go back to his own room.

It wasn’t a bad thing, not really, but it was definitely a first for him.

“Nn, hungry…” Tamaki mumbled in his sleep before curling up.

He hadn’t been disturbed at all when Iori decided to shoot up in bed, and he still seemed unbothered in his slumber. He was a rather heavy sleeper and Iori was certain even if he pushed Tamaki off the bed, he’d still be off in dreamland. It made school mornings tough but Sunday mornings like today’s completely acceptable.

Once Tamaki woke up though, they’d have to continue wherever they’d left off last night. Today was the last day before the exam week began, and Iori hoped the little preparation he could do would be enough for Tamaki to pass his classes.

Iori wondered whether he should try and carefully crawl off the bed so he could head to his own room and wait there, but then Tamaki was throwing that heavy arm around his waist again, clearly deciding for him. Carefully, Iori rearranged the blanket so it would fit over them both before lying back down and pulling it up to his chin. Tamaki’s arm tightened around him, pulling their bodies flush to one another, and Iori shifted in his sleepy embrace until he was feeling comfortable and relaxed enough to close his eyes and go back to sleep.


	5. Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh it was about to get sad but I said NO

* * *

If there was a season Tamaki never enjoyed, it was winter. He’d grown up in the children’s facility wearing donated clothing and always envied the kids at school who had brand new coats during the colder months. Winter was a lonely season spent with the director and whoever was staying at the facility at the time, and even worse was that most kids would get adopted out around that time. A Christmas gift for a whole family. But never for him.

He’d stopped wondering at some point why it was that he was never picked to stay with a family, even if it was just for a night. Aya had been taken from him even though he’d begged the director not to separate them, and maybe Tamaki had made a subconscious decision to present himself in an unpleasant way so nobody would want him, giving him the chance to age out, leave on his own terms, and find his sister.

The first winter he’d spent with IDOLiSH7 had been special, even though there were a lot of things to be stressed about. The second winter was much worse with the trip to frigid Northmare after Nagi’s disappearance, a tumultuous end to an already rocky year. When they arrived back in Japan, all seven of them, the first thing Tamaki did was grab hold of his King Pudding plush and fall into a deep, exhausted slumber.

“You were asleep for 10 hours,” Iori said when Tamaki woke up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

His head felt heavy and his body tight like a spring, so he took his time stretching out his legs and arms while Iori rattled off a long list of the things they needed to do that day. Their first day back in Japan, and it was already the early afternoon.

Something about homework, something-something rehearsal, running a shopping errand for Mitsuki.

“Why do I have to go along?” Tamaki asked, still feeling exhausted and like the jet lag would never leave him. Perhaps it never would. Perhaps he’d be this tired forever.

“Because there’s a lot of things we need and I need help carrying it all,” Iori said swiftly before getting up from his seat at the edge of the bed.

Tamaki reached for his arm and sharply tugged, laughing when Iori fell back onto the bed and into his arms with a dignified squawk.

“Iorin, I missed you!” Tamaki cheered with a grin and hugged him tight, “I was sad you wouldn’t sit next to me on the plane, but now you’re making up for it by spending the day with me!”

“You were asleep the whole time anyway, and no, I’m not!” Iori grumbled and managed to wrestle himself free. He remained seated though, not wanting to risk being pulled down yet again.

“Do you think we have time for a date?” Tamaki asked, arms slipping back around Iori when he was certain he wouldn’t get pushed away.

Iori sputtered and looked over his shoulder at him with a look of shock. “We have no time for that!”

“But Iorin! It’s our first holiday season together!”

“We have so much to do in the next few weeks, and anyway what would we even do?”

“Go eat!”

“We always eat out anyway.”

“But not on Christmas for Christmas!”

Iori sighed and Tamaki’s smile brightened because he knew he was getting somewhere. Slowly but surely. It was always a slow, uphill climb with Iori, but usually he won and the journey was worth it.

"I’m sure Ban-san will give us a day! Half a day! Three hours!” Tamaki pressed on.

“We have things scheduled for Christmas day. And Christmas eve. And probably the day after Christmas,” Iori thought aloud.

“Then we’ll just have Christmas dinner whenever we’re free!”

“It wouldn’t be Christmas dinner, then.”

“ _Iorin_!”

Another sigh and an even brighter smile. It was coming. Soon.

“Maybe.”

“Yay!”

“I said maybe!”

Iori wiggled out of Tamaki’s embrace and stood up again, turning with his hands on his hips and determination in his eyes.

“Now get up and get washed so we can go out. We have a lot to do, plus groceries, and if we don’t go now we might not make it back in time for nii-san to make dinner.”

“We can ask Ban-san today,” Tamaki said and also stood, going over to his dresser and closet to grab whatever looked good enough for an errand day, “We’re gonna have a Christmas date!”

“Not even on Christmas. And we don’t know for sure yet.”

“Christmas date!”

Tamaki leaned over to give Iori a quick kiss on the cheek before running off with a pop in his step as Iori yelled at him for being too bold. His second winter had been one of his most stressful for sure, but at least it was starting to feel a lot less lonely.


	6. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while half asleep. It is so warm and that puts me right to sleep. But I fought it and hopefully this isn't horrible when I read it in the morning.

* * *

It was just an ankle sprain but it would keep Iori from doing any dancing and performing for a few weeks. Or so everyone thought, but IDOLiSH7’s perfect high schooler always found a way to make the impossible happen. He couldn’t dance with everyone, but he requested a seat be brought out on stage so he could at least sing his parts while everyone else performed. Mitsuki had hated the idea because he just wanted Iori to stay home and rest, but eventually he followed along with the agreement that everyone would do what they could to prevent Iori from going on a full hiatus during one of their busiest months. Het just had to stay seated and things would be fine.

Tamaki thought it a bit unfair that Iori was still performing with his leg wrapped up. He’d had a similar foot injury a few months ago, and Iori had made him sit down for three weeks and accept that he wouldn’t be able to do more than limp on that foot until it was completely healed. Tamaki recalled also suggesting that a seat be brought out on the stage so he could sing with everyone, but for some reason his idea had been immediately shot down. Apparently, everyone believed he’d hear the music start and wouldn’t be able to help himself from jumping around and moving to the rhythm.

“Everyone really trusts you, huh,” Tamaki said a bit spitefully and watched as Iori messed with his hair while staring at himself in the mirror. He was trying to go with a more natural appearance, which wasn’t that different from his regular appearance.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Iori asked, glancing at Tamaki from the corner of his eye, “And of course everyone trusts me. I give them more than enough reason to do so.”

Tamaki motioned to the bandages on Iori’s foot, covered just a bit by the hem of his pants. Iori glanced down as well and acted like it was just a regular part of his wardrobe. In a way it was, temporarily.

“You always get to do stuff that nobody would ever let me do,” Tamaki said with a pout. “You should be lying in bed, doing nothing, and being bored out of your mind. That’s what sick people should do! That's what I had to do!”

“I’m not sick!” Iori said, perhaps for the hundredth time. Tamaki had continued to refer to him as having an illness, which a sprained ankle definitely was not. Mostly an inconvenience that Iori was navigating around.

He continued, “You just need to be more calm so people can trust you to not completely lose it.”

“I just happen to like our songs,” Tamaki continued, pout turning more downwards with every word from Iori, “And I can’t help it sometimes! Dancing and moving when I hear a rhythm have always been my thing.”

Iori turned his head from side-to-side to check his hair, and when he was content, he gave it a spritz of hairspray to maintain the style and shape.

“Neither of those are my thing, so I’ll be just fine,” he concluded, “I feel irresponsible expecting everyone else to cover for me when I’m more than capable to do so on my own. The audience would’ve been affected by my absence as well on such short notice.”

“You and the audience and everyone else,” Tamaki repeated with a snort, “Always caring so much more about what other people are thinking and then adapting yourself to make them happy.”

“And so?”

“There is no so! I’m just saying.”

Tamaki leaned over to look at himself once in the mirror, tousled his hair a bit, and then sat back down beside Iori to continue his fruitless lecturing. He couldn’t even do it the way Iori always did and he was trying his hardest.

“Why are you even kicking up a fuss about what I do on stage? You’re always doing whatever you want,” Iori said and finally glanced at Tamaki for more than a few seconds.

He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him and allowed it. No one else was there to witness anyway.

“I just want you to heal up fast,” Tamaki said in a soft voice, rather uncharacteristic of how he’d sounded mere minutes ago, “Then we can dance again and we can walk to school again and just go out together again.”

Iori gave the tiniest hint of a smile. “Just keep a list going and we’ll check things off once I’m able to walk normally again.”

With an excited clap, Tamaki agreed to do just that.


	7. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is. The last of them. I guess this ties in with one of the other chapters. I guess they all tie in somehow. Maybe.

* * *

It was incredibly hot and Iori did his best not to rush around in the heat lest he start sweating even more before arriving at the café. He’d finished his morning class early and had nothing else to do except homework assignments, so he figured he’d do some work at a café. Tamaki had promised to meet with him for lunch and Iori had picked a place where he knew would give him the quiet space he needed but also provide food that his boyfriend would enjoy. It was tucked into a street corner and hardly ever packed, which lessened the likelihood of a fan running into them.

When he arrived, Tamaki was already seated in a booth and pouring himself a glass of water from the table pitcher. He waved at Iori who swiftly made his way over after greeting the café staff.

“Iorin, how was school?” Tamaki asked while flipping through the menu, “I already ordered some side dishes and coffee. Did you want coffee?”

“I’ll get iced tea, probably. It’s so hot,” Iori replied and took out his handkerchief to pat at the sweat on the back of his neck, “And school was fine, but I have an assignment to finish.”

“I thought Iorin was gonna spend a fun lunch with me!” Tamaki whined and handed over the menu.

When their food was ordered and the appetizers and drinks were delivered, Iori took out his laptop and opened the first assignment that was due in a week.

“Sou-chan says hello. I told him I was meeting you for lunch after our shoot this morning, but I’m gonna see him again for the radio show tonight.”

Iori typed a few things on his laptop and thanked the waiter who brought over his cold tea. He took a few sips, glad for the A/C and cold beverage to help cool down his overheated body.

“I hope to see everyone again soon. Maybe we can all have dinner, though it’s a bit tough to get together in the summer time,” Iori mused and checked his calendar, “I have a few free days in the next few weeks.”

“Maybe after our summer concert rehearsal. We can probably go out after that. Maybe Mikki can make something yummy!”

“Niisan is going to be too tired to cook so we should just go out somewhere. Maybe yakiniku?”

“Ooh, and beer! Beer with Yama-san sounds good right now.”

Iori glanced up at Tamaki and made a face.

“The last time you two drank together, we all ended up being dragged to karaoke until 3am.”

“And that’s a problem because…?”

“I had school 5 hours later and didn’t even get to bed until 4am! I did so poorly on that quiz!”

Tamaki waved it off like it was no big deal. He hadn’t sat in a classroom since high school, but he’d heard a lot about what college was like from people he met through work who’d attended.

“Not like your professor would care anyway, Iorin. You passed that class just fine!”

“I don’t want to have a bad reputation at school, you know. I still appear on stage after all and it wouldn’t look good on the group or Manager.”

“You stayed with me that night, so I will hold onto the good memories while you think about the bad,” Tamaki said with a little too much pride. Iori nudged him under the table with his foot and kept his leg outstretched.

He worked and ate while Tamaki ate and played a game on his phone. Most of their lunch dates were like this and neither of them seemed to mind. Anytime spent together was good since it wasn’t too common these days.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind you staying over again,” Tamaki randomly said, eyes still glued to his phone, though Iori seemed to catch him glancing up.

He paused in his schoolwork and took a sip of some water.

“Maybe after the rehearsal.”

Tamaki sighed, as expected.

“I want you to stay over more, Iorin. I have my own place now and my bed is big enough and I live close to your university. Closer than your parents’ house! Though it must be nice to smell cake every morning.”

After graduation, they’d continued staying in the dorm for another few years, and then Iori decided to move back into his parents’ home when he decided to focus more on school and took less jobs. Most of his idol work was just performing with everyone during concerts or for TV appearances. On the other hand, Tamaki seemed to pick up more and more work as soon as he graduated. College had never been part of his plans, and now that he had found Aya and was finally on good terms with her again, he dove deeper into the entertainment business.

At some point, the dorm broke up and everyone moved into their own places or stayed in smaller groups. Tamaki ended up living alone, which had surprised everyone, because he didn’t seem like the loner type. And he wasn’t, Iori knew that. He also knew why Tamaki had decided to get his own place. He’d expected Iori to move in with him as soon as he did, but that hadn’t worked out for a variety of reasons.

They’d argued about it, how Tamaki felt Iori wasn’t taking their relationship seriously, and how Iori felt Tamaki wasn’t letting him focus on his studies and tried jumping too far ahead. They’d started dating in high school but things hadn’t really taken off until Iori was in university and Tamaki was landing more and more gigs outside of IDOLiSH7.

Iori considered it for a moment, as he often did. His and Tamaki’s relationship was almost always on his mind, especially now that he was in his final year of schooling. He already had a few job prospects lined up, and he’d gone through several pros and cons lists for each agency he was considering.

“I guess I can stay over a bit more often,” he thought aloud and checked his schedule again, “I don’t have too many late-night shows to do anymore and the only big thing right now is the concert.”

“You can stay any time, Iorin. You already leave so much stuff at my place and I try to keep it organized. You’d be proud!”

There was a time when Iori would feel shy about Tamaki saying that so nonchalantly, but over the last few years he’d matured and realized that it was all part of the natural course of their relationship. For sure, they’d move in together. He just didn’t know when and wasn’t even considering it right now. There were so many other things much higher up on his priorities list.

“I know, so thank you for that. I’ll think about when I can stay over again and let you know.”

“What about tonight? You just have homework, right?”

Iori bit his lip and felt a tad nervous before he reasoned with himself that it wouldn’t be weird to suddenly stay with his boyfriend tonight. He was an adult now and although he currently lived with his parents, he stayed out for as long as he wanted to and didn’t need to answer to anyone. Except when his parents got curious about his boyfriend and asked when he’d visit again. It really had been a while.

“I guess…” he said hesitantly, “You just need to let me actually finish my work.”

“Will do, Iorin! I’ll be good!”

Iori smiled at that and gently rubbed his ankle against Tamaki’s.

“I can meet you at your place after you’re done with the radio. I’ll listen in,” he suggested and paused when Tamaki set something down on the wood table, right next to his laptop. Something that gave a soft clink.

It was a small silver key and Iori’s mind was racing the moment he realized what it all meant. He looked up at Tamaki and was surprised to see the sincerity and hopefulness in his eyes.

“I had it made for you so you don’t have to wait for me anymore,” Tamaki said, simultaneously sounding like a mature adult and a bashful high schooler, “So come anytime, okay?”

Iori picked up the key and quickly put it on his keyring so he wouldn’t lose it. It was another step Tamaki had taken for them both and Iori couldn’t find anything to be mad about. It was a good step, the proper step that would lead to something they’d both be comfortable with someday.

“Okay.”


End file.
